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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23163541">2020 US Figure Skating Nationals (with my boyfriend)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevereverever/pseuds/nevereverever'>nevereverever</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zimbits Watch Figure Skating [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Check Please! (Webcomic), Figure Skating RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>2020 US National Figure Skating Championships, Brunch, But not interacted with, Domestic, Figure Skater Eric "Bitty" Bittle, Fluff, Gen, Inspired by Real Events, M/M, Platonic Relationships, Real skaters are mentioned, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Traveling as a couple, figure skating, meeting the friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:35:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23163541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevereverever/pseuds/nevereverever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bitty and Jack meet old friends, see incredible feats, and eat terrible pizza at 2020 Figure Skating Nationals in Greensboro, NC!</p><p> </p><p>(no figure skating knowledge required!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eric "Bitty" Bittle &amp; Original Male Character(s), Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zimbits Watch Figure Skating [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>2020 US Figure Skating Nationals (with my boyfriend)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey friends. Bit of a preface for this one. I went to Nationals (as a spectator, I am not an athlete) this year and it was The Best Weekend of my life. So obviously I pictured our boys there. This is <i>largely</i> based on real events. The original character (Oliver) is replacing excellent skater and man William Hubbard in the lineup. </p><p>Love y'all, have fun reading!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Itinerary</p><p>Saturday<br/>
Wake up call 4:30 am (sorry baby, I know you like to sleep in on bye weeks)<br/>
PVD&gt;&gt;&gt;CLT&gt;&gt;&gt;GSO Departs at 6:09am<br/>
Arrive in Greensboro at 9:59 am<br/>
Pick-up rental car!<br/>
Meet Oliver @ Iron Hen at 10:30 am<br/>
Check in at AirBnB<br/>
Men’s Short at 1:15 pm (!!!)</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, Jack, this is gonna be so much fun," Bitty bounces in the seat of their rental car, "sorry about your sleep schedule."</p><p>"I'll pull through. Plus, a weekend with my boyfriend can't hurt my morale." At a stoplight, Jack looks over at him, absolutely glowing.</p><p>"I can't believe you'd choose me and Greensboro over a nap." Bitty reaches for his phone and pulls up the map to the brunch spot. His hands shake just a touch and Jack notices but doesn’t say anything. He puts his hand on his boyfriend’s knee.</p><p>"Not just a nap. Several full nights of sleep. Where am I going?" </p><p>"Left up here. Also, you could have said no if you needed the rest."</p><p>“Need you more. On the right?”</p><p>“Sappy. Ooh, great parking,” he says as they pull into the parking lot. It’s warm in Greensboro compared to Boston, and Bitty relishes it. He never did get used to the cold ache of Samwell winters. He grabs Jack’s hand and they walk into the restaurant together.</p><p>“Eric!” They hear someone call as soon as they cross the threshold. They turn and see a young man that Jack only recognizes from old photos on his fiance’s phone. He has bright eyes and crazy hair and he’s grinning. Bitty lets go of Jack’s hand and launches himself at him.</p><p>“Olly! Oh god, I’ve missed you.” They collide into a tight hug.</p><p>“I missed you too. I’m so glad you’re here,” Oliver says as they pull apart. “Now introduce me to your NHL star boyfriend.” Jack chuckles. </p><p>“Olly, this is Jack. Jack, my old rink mate Oliver.” Jack reaches out a hand to shake but is drawn into a crushing hug. He’s not surprised. After a few trips to Madison, he honestly should have been more prepared. </p><p>“Good to meet you,” Jack says when he’s let go. They slip into the booth Oliver had got for them, and Bitty looks his old friend up and down with a critical eye. He looks tired, but only in the same way he’s sure that he and Jack look tired. Dedicated athletes who are just a little overworked.  People carrying the weight of their legacies on their backs.</p><p>“I can’t believe you’re here,” Oliver says, his smile dimming a little. He has a strong southern accent that reminds Jack of Bitty his Freshman year. Bitty reaches a hand across the table and he takes it.</p><p>“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Bitty replies earnestly. He squeezes Oliver’s hand. “I heard you’re competing without a club.”</p><p>“Yeah. After Katya left, the rink didn’t have the membership to maintain the club. Next closest one's in Duluth and Lord knows I don’t have near enough time or money to drive 50 miles every day to skate. So, I made it work myself.” </p><p>“You’re saying-”</p><p>“I haven’t had an in-person coach this season.” He says it very matter of factly, like Bitty’s jaw isn’t on the ground. Jack’s astounded too; he can’t imagine playing a season of hockey with no coach.</p><p>“Oliver Bryce Stewart, I cannot believe you.” They keep holding hands across the table. There is a different kind of tired on his face now, one that spoke to how hard he was working to keep everything together. </p><p>“Just tryin’ to make Katya proud.” They don’t miss the sadness in his tone.</p><p>“Eric has told me stories about Katya. Are they true, or is he exaggerating?” Jack smiles and leans in, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Bitty swats his arm with his free hand and tsks.</p><p>“I would not lie about Ekaterina Chernyshevsky, Mr. Zimmermann.”</p><p>“He’s told you about Soviet Morning Calisthenics, right? Now that was truly brutal.” </p><p>“They’re real?”</p><p>The rest of brunch goes swimmingly and, true to Eric Richard Bittle form, the food is incredible. Oliver tells them about the college he got into, the skating club there, the coaches he’s been talking to. It relaxes Bitty to know that he has a plan and a place to go after Madison. They linger a little longer than they probably should. </p><p> </p><p>Getting parked and into the Coliseum is a nightmare. The parking lot is a labyrinth of cars and pedestrians that Jack just barely makes it out of without killing someone. They manage to find a spot and get into the building with 15 minutes to spare to the start of warm-ups.  Jack has watched enough figure skating with Bitty to know that warm-ups aren’t essential viewing, but he also knows that Oliver is up in the first group and that his boyfriend is more worried than he’s letting on.</p><p>They make it into their seats by the rink, and Jack turns just in time to see Bitty wiping tears from his eyes. </p><p>“What’s going on, bud?” He asks, his voice quiet compared to the low roar of thousands of excited voices.</p><p>“I’m just- I’m overwhelmed. Olly was my team before I found SMH and I’m so proud of him and also worried silly. And I haven’t been to Nationals in years and this is gonna be a doozy.” He puts his head on Jack’s shoulder and smiles. The jumbotron starts playing a video about the history of the event and it kind of makes Bitty want to cry more but he doesn’t.</p><p>"He's gonna do great. You're good luck,” Jack says, pressing a single kiss to his fiance’s cheek. Even after so much time together, Bitty still feels a blush rise in his cheeks. He didn’t think he’d ever be allowed affection in public like this with Jack. </p><p>“I’m good luck?”</p><p>“You were my good luck charm when I won the Cup,” Jack states plainly like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Bitty’s face breaks into a wide grin, eyes full of the adoration he felt. This boy.</p><p>“You’re silly,” he replies. The lights dim and the skaters in the first group (Oliver included) take the ice. </p><p>“And, competing as an individual member, Oliver Stewart,” the voice on the intercom announces. Bitty cups his hands around his mouth and cheers. “Skaters, you may now begin your warm-up.” The skaters dispersed, but Bitty kept his eyes trained on his friend. He did a few doubles and a particularly nice triple lutz that made Bitty’s heart swell. He looked confident on the ice like it was where he was meant to be.</p><p>The woman in the seat next to him leans over.</p><p>“Sorry to eavesdrop, but did you say you know one of the skaters?” He turns to her and smiles.</p><p>“Yes, ma'am. That one there,” he pointed, “is my old rink mate Oliver. He’s up first.” She smiles back at him, looking about as excited as a person could be. </p><p>“That’s incredible! I’ll root for him with you then. I’m just so-” She’s interrupted by the announcer’s voice booming through the rink.</p><p>“Skaters, the time for your warmup has elapsed. Please exit the ice.” The other skaters do, leaving Oliver alone on the rink.</p><p>Bitty thinks back to their first competition together, a small thing at a rink in Louisiana. Olly was little then, just a novice with bright eyes and a knack for jumping. They’d gotten on like a barn on fire. Out in the bright lights of the Coliseum, on a national stage, he still had bright eyes. He had a passion for skating. He looked tense and worried though, and Bitty’s heart sunk a little.</p><p>“Come on, Olly,” he mumbles under his breath. He settles at center ice and the music starts. All that Jazz from Chicago. </p><p>The first solid minute, Bitty holds his breath, only focusing on his friend. He doesn’t feel Jack’s hand on his shoulder or hear the commentary from the people in the row behind them. Oliver skates through the turns and spins and jumps of his program stiffly, his lines not as flowing as they usually were. As Bitty remembered them. He underrotates what was supposed to be a triple axel and touches down on the ice. Bitty winces. He can almost feel the ice against his own palm. He finishes off the program with a set of spins that are beautiful, but Bitty can’t help but count through the program score in his head. A 75 if they were lucky.</p><p>He isn’t happy about his accuracy when the scores come up 74.15. </p><p>Bitty turns away from the ice and sighs, unable to stomach the look on Olly’s face in the Kiss and Cry. Bright eyes, struggling to hold onto composure. When he does, he accidentally catches the eyes of the woman next to him. She’s smiling, and there are tears on her cheeks.</p><p>“Hey,” he says, “are you alright?”</p><p>“Yeah. It’s just- that was so beautiful. I’ve never been to a skating competition before and that was just so beautiful. Tell your friend thank you,” she says, genuine. She wipes the tears off her face and laughs a little.</p><p>“I will. Do you need a tissue?”</p><p>“Probably. I think I might be crying a lot today.” They chat between programs. The young woman (Joanne) had driven herself from Fayetteville, Arkansas to see Nationals. She recognizes Jack after a minute and only fangirls a little, which was nice.</p><p>Jack had been watching figure skating with Bittle for a while. He’d even been watching some figure skating without Bittle, especially when they were apart for too long. He’d developed a couple of favorites. He liked Nathan Chen more than Bitty did, probably because he wasn’t as good at parsing the artistic side of things.</p><p>But, overall, he felt pretty secure in his figure skating knowledge.</p><p>Sean Rabbitt sneaks up on both of them. Sneaks up on the whole crowd, really. </p><p>There’s something intangible in a figure skating program. You can count jumps and spins, add and dock points for execution. You can ballpark artistic scores by watching for extension and expression. But there is something in a piece that can change the skating from good to great. Something that grips the audience, makes them so on your side, that lights up the entire room.</p><p>Jack had never felt it before. Bitty loved it, thrived on it. And Sean Rabbitt had it in spades.</p><p>The program wasn’t technically perfect. He hit every jump, but the connoisseur could pick out problems. But you wouldn’t want to. You’re there with him, you’re on your feet cheering before the music ends. </p><p>Joanne needs more tissues. Bitty follows him on Instagram.</p><p>Nathan Chen is pitch-perfect. There isn’t much more to say. Joanne offers to Venmo them for the tissues.</p><p>Jason Brown catches them in a different way, and Jack is prepared for it this time. He knows that Bitty has rarely, if ever, made it through a Jason Brown program without crying. He catches his fiance's hand and squeezes, but it isn’t surprising when Bitty lets go, lost to the excitement.</p><p>Jason is an artist, to put it mildly. He skates in pure emotions, and you can’t help but feel it. Jack smiles.</p><p>“This is incredible,” Bitty murmurs over and over as Jason skates, no, dances through a program with unparalleled beauty and depth. </p><p>“That was incredible,” Jack responds, smiling when they give their third standing ovation of the night. Bitty leans into his side, the exhaustion of a long day starting to show through. “You alright, bud?” He wraps an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder</p><p>“Mmm. I need dinner and caffeine if I’m gonna have a chance of making it through pairs and ice dance.” He puts his head on Jack’s shoulder and closes his eyes, letting the weight and excitement of the day sink in for a moment. Jack pulls out his phone.</p><p>“Same. There’s-” he pulls up a map and scrolls around- “a Domino’s? We have 45 minutes before we have to be back.” </p><p>“Fastest Domino’s run ever. Got it.” Bitty opens his eyes and stretches the tightness out of his shoulders. He checks his phone for new messages.</p><p> </p><p>From Eric- 13:00<br/>
You’re gonna do wonderful! Proud of you!</p><p>From Olly- 13:03<br/>
!!! thanks</p><p>From Eric- 13:32<br/>
That was great!<br/>
The girl in the seat next to us is crying. She says to tell you it was beautiful<br/>
Still proud of you</p><p>Read at 14:17</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Drop me a comment if you like! Next part coming soon!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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